Carrying container



Feb. 19, 1963 W.'J. ROBINSON ETAL CARRYING CONTAINER Filed Aug. 17. 1960 i "if IQVENTOR$\- BY ROM-EM;

TTORNEY 3,078,932 w CARRYING CGNTAENER v /riham Robinson, t. Paul, and Reynolds W. Guyer, .112, White Bear Lake, Minna, assignors to Waldorf Paper Products Company, St. Paul, Minn a corporatron of Minnesota Filed Aug. 17, 1960, Ser. No. 511,171 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-52) This invention relates to an improvement in carrying container and deals particularly with a container which may be opened up and which may be carried in an open or closed position.

Carrying containers have been produced for containing a dozen or more cans of a beverage such as beer. These Containers are normally provided with a handle by means of which the container may be carried. However, in the past such containers have been made with a tear strip of one type or another which is normally in the bottom of the container to simplify the opening of the container. As a result, when the container is opened, it can no longer be carried by the handle.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a tubular container including rectan'gu-larly arranged walls provided with closing flaps at opposite ends. When the closing flaps are closed, the contents are sealed. The walls which form the closures are then arranged to form two opposed side walls of the container. As a result, one of the walls of single thickness is uppermost. This panel of the carton is die cut to provide spaced cut lines extending across the panel and into the adjoining vertical walls. The score lines connecting this top panel to the adjoining single thickness walls are partially cut or weakened. As a result, the portions of the top panel on either side of the handle formed by the cut lines may be readily torn away to open the top of the container.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision of score lines extending transversely across the top panel in spaced relation to the cut lines so that if desired the center portion of the container may be opened Without opening the entire container.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more fully and clearly set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification;

PEGURE 1 is a perspective view of the closed container.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the container in partially opened form.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the top of the con tainer in open form.

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic view of the blank of which the container is formed.

The container A is formed on the blank illustrated in FIGURE 4. This blank includes a side wall panel 11 a top panel 11, a second side Wall panel 12, and the bottom panel 13 which are connected along parallel fold lines 14, 15 and 16. A stitch fiap or glue flap 17 is foldably connected to the panel along the fold line 19.

End closure flaps 20, 21, 22 and 23 are foldably connected to the panels 10, 11, 12 and 13 along parallel fold lines 24 and 25. These flaps may be folded into right angular relation to the panels to which they are hinged to form side closures as indicated in FIGURE 1.

The top panel 11 is provided with a pair of parallel cut lines 26 and 27 which extend across the fold lines 14 and and into the adjoining wall panels 10 and 12. These cut lines 26 and 27 define a strap 29 by means of which the container may be carried. Notches 3t} and 31 may be provided in the top panel 11 on opposite sides of 3,h?8,@32 Patented Feb. 19, 1953 the cut lines 26 and 27, the notches being of sufiicient size to permit the insertion of the fingers or of a suitable tool.

Cut lines 32 and 33 extend in right angular relation to the cut lines 26 and 27 along the line of fold 14 from the cut lines 26 and 27 for a short distance toward the fold lines 24 and 25. Similar cuts 34 and 35 extend along the fold line 15 from opposite sides of the handle strap 29. A transverse fold line 35 extends across the panel 11 connecting the ends of the cuts 32 and 34 while a similar score line 37 extends across the panel 11 connecting the ends of the cuts 33 and 35. While the various cut lines have been described as complete cuts, it should be understood that short areas of connections may be retained to hold the various parts in their proper position.

When the container has been filled, the cans are normally positioned with their ends against the vertical panels 11) and 12. When it is desired to open the con tainer, the fingers may be inserted in the slots 30 and 31 and the portions of the panel 11 on opposite sides of the strap handle 29 may be pulled upwardly as indicated in FIGURE 2 of the drawings. When in this position, the container may be readily carried. If it is desired to entirely open the end of the container, the first folded portions are folded against the outer portions of the panel 11 and the container is torn along the top score lines 14 and 15 to completely open the upper end of the carton with the exception of the handle strap 22.

In accordance with the patent statutes, 1 have described the principles of construction and operation of my improvement in carrying container, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A carrier container including,

a series of four panels connected in rectangular relation,

a pair of generally parallel cut lines extending across an intermediate panel of said series and continuing for a short distance into the two adjoining panels of said series,

said cut lines being generally parallel to the ends of said panels and arranged intermediate said ends,

additional weakened lines of separation extending along the junctures between said intermediate panel and said adjoining panels on either side of said parallel cut lines,

said additional weakened lines terminating at points no greater than one half the distance between said parallel cut lines and the ends of said panels, and

score lines connecting the ends of said additional weakened lines of separation most remote from said parallel cut lines and extending generally parallel thereto,

whereby the portions of said intermediate panel between said parallel cut lines and said score lines may be folded back against the surface of said intermediate panel to reinforce the same in separating the outer portions of said intermediate panel from said adjoining panel along said junctures.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which said weakened lines of separation include cut lines adjoining said first named cut lines.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,723,027 Gu er Nov. 8, 1955 2,754,047 Schmidt et al July 10, 1956 2,785,847 Forrer Mar. 19, 1957 

1. A CARRIER CONTAINER INCLUDING, A SERIES OF FOUR PANELS CONNECTED IN RECTANGULAR RELATION, A PAIR OF GENERALLY PARALLEL CUT LINES EXTENDING ACROSS AN INTERMEDIATE PANEL OF SAID SERIES AND CONTINUING FOR A SHORT DISTANCE INTO THE TWO ADJOINING PANELS OF SAID SERIES, SAID CUT LINES BEING GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE ENDS OF SAID PANELS AND ARRANGED INTERMEDIATE SAID ENDS, ADDITIONAL WEAKENED LINES OF SEPARATION EXTENDING ALONG THE JUNCTURES BETWEEN SAID INTERMEDIATE PANEL AND SAID ADJOINING PANELS ON EITHER SIDE OF SAID PARALLEL CUT LINES, SAID ADDITIONAL WEAKENED LINES TERMINATING AT POINTS NO GREATER THAN ONE HALF THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID PARALLEL CUT LINES AND THE ENDS OF SAID PANELS, AND SCORE LINES CONNECTING THE ENDS OF SAID ADDITIONAL WEAKENED LINES OF SEPARATION MOST REMOTE FROM SAID PARALLEL CUT LINES AND EXTENDING GENERALLY PARALLEL THERETO, WHEREBY THE PORTIONS OF SAID INTERMEDIATE PANEL BETWEEN SAID PARALLEL CUT LINES AND SAID SCORE LINES MAY BE FOLDED BACK AGAINST THE SURFACE OF SAID INTERMEDIATE PANEL TO REINFORCE THE SAME IN SEPARATING THE OUTER PORTIONS OF SAID INTERMEDIATE PANEL FROM SAID ADJOINING PANEL ALONG SAID JUNCTURES. 